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The term alien species refers to those living organisms, both plant and animal, not originally found in an ecosystem. Plants and animals that have migrated, for instance, with the assistance of airplanes, people, etc., from one environment to an entirely new environment not previously containing their kind, are considered alien species. However, plants and animals that have migrated with the assistance of migratory birds, are not considered alien, as their arrival and/or departure is accomplished through natural means. Certainly, one can make the argument that the movement of plants and animals itself is natural, by whatever means, and the receiving environment should be able to adjust accordingly toward their favorable inclusion. But it is the speed at which that movement takes place that distinguishes between harmless and detrimental. |
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The movement of plants and animals and the subsequent adjustment to the newcomers that must take place is a process that is successful - that is, maintains a healthy and balanced ecosystem - only if accomplished over time. On the flip side, invasive alien species will pose detrimental consequences to our healthy and balanced ecosystem, particularly in a world that is constantly developing in technology, communications, transportation, and international trade, because their "invasion" happens so quickly and overwhelmingly. Introduced to a new environment at a speed, rate and number that increases exponentially as the world develops, these invasive alien species adapt quickly to their new environment, pose a threat to the local existing plant or animal population, deplete the local food source, multiply at a high rate, and most importantly, are not threatened by local, natural enemies that would normally counter their spread and keep their numbers under control. |
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Although Thailand is not party to the Convention on Biological Diversity that demands its signatories to protect against the importation of alien species, and to control and manage alien species currently harming the ecosystem, Thailand actively cooperates with signatory countries towards that same objective. An office attached to the subcommittee to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which employs the Office on Environmental Policy and Planning as its Secretariat, was established in 1996 in Thailand to collect information on the kinds of alien species that exist in Thailand, and to consult on the implementation of measures to control and protect against the loss of biological diversity as a result of the existence of invasive alien species. The office is responsible for a rather large mandate, and has notably accomplished a great deal in terms of collecting information on the 1,500 different kinds of alien species that currently exist in Thailand. But there is still a lot that remains to be done...
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On February 2nd 2001, in the agriculture promotion column, the Thai Rath newspaper favorably introduced one type of aquatic fern as a beautiful and exotic plant, suitable as food for both people and animals. Yet it was established in a meeting entitled "Biological Diversity and the Management of Invasive Alien Species" in November of that same year that that aquatic fern, known as the Salvinia Molesta, had already caused a lot of problems in other countries, and warned that its spread in Thailand would spell an ecological fate worse than had been meted out earlier by the infamous "phak tob chawa." At present, the Salvinia Molesta has not spread throughout the country, although it has been spotted sold as a decorative item for fish tanks at the Chatuchak weekend market...
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